Gingrich: ‘We have no proof’ to support Romney’s welfare attack

Appearing on CNN Wednesday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) admitted “we have no proof” to support the most recent attack at by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hitting President Barack Obama for supposedly scrapping a welfare work rule.

And on Wednesday night, Anderson Cooper just wouldn’t let Gingrich explain that away.

After pressing the issue several times trying to get Gingrich to say whether he believes the ad is accurate, the former speaker seemed to crack. “If the ad makers had asked me, I would have said, ‘This makes it possible’ would have been a good way to enter into the wording of what was said,” he tried to explain.

“We have no proof today, but I would say to you under Obama’s ideology, it is absolutely true that he would be comfortable with sending a lot of people checks for doing nothing. I believe that totally,” Gingrich added later in the interview, explaining that if it were his ad, it would have called Obama “the leading foodstamp president in American history.”

Despite the nearly unprecedented economic pressure on working class Americans, President Obama did not scrap a rule that requires welfare beneficiaries to look for work. Instead, the administration gave states the option to waive federal welfare work rules if officials come up with a plan that can increase employment among the poor even more.

About the Author

Stephen C. Webster is the senior editor of Raw Story, and is based out of Austin, Texas. He previously worked as the associate editor of The Lone Star Iconoclast in Crawford, Texas, where he covered state politics and the peace movement’s resurgence at the start of the Iraq war. Webster has also contributed to publications such as True/Slant, Austin Monthly, The Dallas Business Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Weekly, The News Connection and others. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenCWebster.